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(No ModeL) I J. G. PARSONS- TOP PROP JOINT FOR VEHICLES. f N0.'38 2,662.' I 8 PatntedMapyB, 1888.

N. PETERS. PholwLilhogl-iphan Wuhlnglon. ILC.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. PARSONS, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONEHALF TO EDWARD STORM,OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK.

TOP-PROP JOINT FOR VEHICLES.

SPECiPiCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 382,662, dated May 8,1888.

Application filed November 14. 1887. Serial No. 255,149. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern): v Be it known that I, JOHN G. PARSONS, of

- Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Top -Prop Joints for Vehicles;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it pertains to make and use the same. I

My invention relates to improvements in top-prop joints, or so-calledtop-braces, for vehicles, in which the eyes of the braces arescrewthreaded internally and are screwed onto the threaded ends of thetop-props, to the end that retaining-nuts may be dispensed with and thatthese braces cannot accidentally become detached from the props.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation. Figs. 2, 3,and 4 are enlarged plans, partly in section.

Arepresents the top-props and B the braces, the latter having joints B,as heretofore. Heretofore the eyes of these braces have had smooth boresand were held in place on.the top-props by means of retaining-nuts.These nuts were loosened by raising and lowering the vehicle-top, andwere so frequently lost off that at livery-stables usually a quantity ofsuch nuts and of the several varieties in use were kept on hand, and nota few persons, after an experience of tying on a brace with a string, orfor want of a string finishing a ride with one or more braces dangling,have provided themselves with a few extra nuts, to be ready for suchcontingencies.

My improvement consists in threading internally the brace-eyes b, andscrewing the same onto the threaded ends a of the top-props. Thebrace-eye may be capped over, as shown at b, Fig. 2, or the eye may beleft open, as shownin Fig. 3, in which latter case the cap-nut 0 may beemployed to give a better finish than would be had with such open eye.Where the two braces connect with a top-prop in commen, as shown in Fig.4, the inner brace-eye may have a smooth bore and fit a smoothsection ofthe top-prop, if so preferred, and in such case the outer brace-eye willof course hold the inner eye in place. The different top-props may have,respectively, right orleft hand threads arranged so as to bring thedifferent brace-eyes, when the top is down, with sufficient forceagainst shoulder a to prevent thebraces from rattling. When the top isup,

there is sufficient strain on these braces to pre--- vent theirrattling, and if these brace-eyes screw away from shoulders a in raisingthe top the separation will be so slight as hardly to v day of November,1887.

JOHN G. PARSONS.

Witnesses:

GEO. F. STAYnoR, J os. H. GEIGER.

